Detroit bids farewell to bridge backer Norton

Business leaders in metro Detroit said goodbye to Canadian Consul General Roy Norton last Thursday night at a dinner hosted by the Detroit Regional Chamber.

Norton is moving to Chicago to represent his country as consul general.

His mandate in Detroit was to get the new bridge approved. Now, it's likely he will be a key figure in moving the Keystone XL Pipeline forward. The $5.4 billion plan by TransCanada Corp. to pipe fuel from Alberta to Gulf Coast refineries has languished in a fierce energy-vs.-environment debate.

Norton told the crowd Thursday that he recently heard Gov. Rick Snyder tell students at the University of Michigan: If you want to be a yuppie, move to Chicago. If you want to make a difference, move to Detroit.